Emerging Technologies, Law and Policies
Faculty of Law, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), Av. de la Paz, 137, 26006 Logroño, Spain
Laws 2025, 14(2), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/laws14020028
Submission received: 10 April 2025
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Accepted: 14 April 2025
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Published: 18 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Topic Emerging Technologies, Law and Policies)
Abstract
:Emerging technologies and the so-called information and communication technologies (ICT or IT) are transforming society, interpersonal relationships, and our way of understanding the world and, by extension, also law and the legal profession. Emerging technologies will have a significant impact on society in the coming years and will pose new challenges and legal issues in the legal sector that will surely affect the development, evolution, and way of understanding the legal practice. The future of the legal industry will be comprise occupations that do not yet exist, or areas and subjects that are little or not yet known or even explored. The key for law firms will therefore be to specialize in these sectors. This Topic has become a window into the new challenges of law and policies in relation to emerging technologies.
1. Introduction
The impact of emerging technologies on law and policies is far-reaching, encompassing ethical implications, the enforcement of intellectual property laws, regulatory frameworks, and the legal profession. The insights gained from the related research published in this field provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies in the legal domain.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into legal practice has been a consistent theme in recent times, reflecting its transformative potential and the ethical challenges it poses. This theme encompasses the use of AI to enhance access to justice, streamline legal processes, and improve the efficiency of legal services. The consistent interest in this area highlights the ongoing efforts to balance innovation with ethical considerations and regulatory compliance. This Topic aims to provide new legal advances in connection with emerging technologies.
2. Publications Statistics
Given the multidisciplinary nature of the Topic, four journals have participated: Inventions, Laws, Sustainability and Technologies. To summarize the call for papers for this Topic, of the 106 manuscripts submitted, 88% were rejected and 12% were published. Table 1 summarizes these data according to each journal.
3. Authors’ Affiliation
The authors come from nineteen different affiliations. Table 2 summarizes the authors and their affiliations.
4. Keywords
Keywords are crucial for scientific publications, impacting their discoverability and indexing. The appropriate selection of keywords is essential for improving publication visibility, and there is a need for standardization and guidelines to ensure consistency in representation and recovery of scientific production. Keywords assist in making research more accessible, increasing its visibility, and ensuring that it reaches the right audience. Table 3 summarizes the keywords of the articles published in this Topic.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable. This study not involving humans or animals.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
References
- Alexander, Atul, and Tushar Krishna. 2022. Pegasus project: Re-Questioning the legality of the cyber-surveillance mechanism. Laws 11: 85. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Al Zaabi, Saeed Hasan, and Ruzaidi Zamri. 2022. Managing security threats through Touchless security technologies: An overview of the integration of facial recognition technology in the UAE oil and gas industry. Sustainability 14: 14915. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bach, Xavier, Carme Miralles-Guasch, and Oriol Marquet. 2023. Spatial inequalities in access to micromobility services: An analysis of moped-style scooter sharing systems in barcelona. Sustainability 15: 2096. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Baumgardner, Paul. 2024. Trashing the Tables: The Critical Legal Studies Symposium of the Stanford Law Review, Then and Now. Laws 13: 21. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chawki, Mohamed, Subhajit Basu, and Kyung-Shick Choi. 2024. Redefining boundaries in the metaverse: Navigating the challenges of virtual harm and user safety. Laws 13: 33. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lee, Young-Gyu, Chang-Hee Lee, Young-Hun Jeon, and Jae-Hwan Bae. 2024. Transformative Impact of the EU AI Act on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships. Laws 13: 61. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Moore, Derek M. 2024. Algorithmic Exploitation in Social Media Human Trafficking and Strategies for Regulation. Laws 13: 31. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Morán, Javier, and Alina Kilasoniya. 2024. Application of the “Novel Foods” Regulation to Botanicals in the European Union. Laws 13: 10. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Preedakorn, Kantapich, David Butler, and Jörn Mehnen. 2023. Challenges for the adoption of electric vehicles in Thailand: Potential impacts, barriers, and public policy recommendations. Sustainability 15: 9470. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Shao, Shuai, and Hongwu Qiao. 2024. The Impact of Environmental Courts on Green Total Factor Productivity in Chinese Cities. Sustainability 16: 7007. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Slavinska, Andreta, Karina Palkova, Evita Grigoroviča, Edgars Edelmers, and Aigars Pētersons. 2024. Narrative Review of Legal Aspects in the Integration of Simulation-Based Education into Medical and Healthcare Curricula. Laws 13: 15. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Soto-Cruz, Jesús, Erica Ruiz-Ibarra, Javier Vázquez-Castillo, Adolfo Espinoza-Ruiz, Alejandro Castillo-Atoche, and Joaquin Mass-Sanchez. 2024. A Survey of Efficient Lightweight Cryptography for Power-Constrained Microcontrollers. Technologies 13: 3. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Uhumuavbi, Ikpenmosa. 2025. An Adaptive Conceptualisation of Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Regulation and Ethics. Laws 14: 19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Table 1.
Statistics by journal in this Topic.
| Journal | Rejected | Accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Inventions | 4 | 0 |
| Laws | 37 | 8 |
| Sustainability | 46 | 3 |
| Technologies | 6 | 1 |
| Total | 93 | 13 |
Table 2.
Authors and their affiliations.
| Authors | Affiliation | Country | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uhumuavbi, I | Tashkent State University of Law | Uzbekistan | (Uhumuavbi 2025) |
| Soto-Cruz, J., Ruiz-Ibarra, E., Espinoza-Ruiz, A., Mass-Sanchez, J. | Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON) | Mexico | (Soto-Cruz et al. 2024) |
| Vázquez-Castillo, J | Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Quintana Roo (UQRoo) | Mexico | (Soto-Cruz et al. 2024) |
| Castillo-Atoche, A. | Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán | Mexico | (Soto-Cruz et al. 2024) |
| Lee, Y. G., | Hanwha Ocean Co. | Republic of Korea | (Lee et al. 2024) |
| Lee, C. H., | Korea Maritime & Ocean University | Republic of Korea | (Lee et al. 2024) |
| Jeon, Y. H., Bae, J. H. | Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute | Republic of Korea | (Lee et al. 2024) |
| Shao, S., Qiao, H. | Wuhan University | China | (Shao and Qiao 2024) |
| Chawki, M. | Naif Arab University for Security Sciences | Saudi Arabia | (Chawki et al. 2024) |
| Basu, S. | University of Leeds | UK | (Chawki et al. 2024) |
| Choi, K. S. | Boston University | USA | (Chawki et al. 2024) |
| Moore, D. M. | University of South Florida | USA | (Moore 2024) |
| Baumgardner, P. | Augustana College | USA | (Baumgardner 2024) |
| Slavinska, A., Palkova, K., Grigoroviča, E., Edelmers, E., Pētersons, A. | Rīga Stradiņš University | Latvia | (Slavinska et al. 2024) |
| Morán, J., Kilasoniya, A. | Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) | Spain | (Morán and Kilasoniya 2024) |
| Preedakorn, K., Butler, D., Mehnen, J. | University of Strathclyde | UK | (Preedakorn et al. 2023) |
| Bach, X., Miralles-Guasch, C., Marquet, O. | Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) | Spain | (Bach et al. 2023) |
| Alexander, A., Krishna, T. | West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences | India | (Alexander and Krishna 2022) |
| Al Zaabi, S. H., Zamri, R. | Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka | Malaysia | (Al Zaabi and Zamri 2022) |
Table 3.
Keywords relating to this Topic.
| Keywords | Journal | References |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial Intelligence; Law; Regulations; Ethics; AI Conceptualization; Responsible AI | Laws | (Uhumuavbi 2025) |
| Internet Of Things; Data Security; Wireless Sensor Network; Lightweight Encryption | Technologies | (Soto-Cruz et al. 2024) |
| EU AI Act; Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS); Artificial Intelligence; Multiple-Streams Analysis; Technology | Laws | (Lee et al. 2024) |
| Environmental Courts; Green Total Factor Productivity; Difference-In-Differences Model | Sustainability | (Shao and Qiao 2024) |
| Metaverse; Sexual Violence; Legal Challenges; International Law; Regulation; Legal Framework; USA; EU; South Korea | Laws | (Chawki et al. 2024) |
| Human Trafficking; Social Media; Legal Regulation; Exploitation; Algorithms | Laws | (Moore 2024) |
| Critical Legal Studies; Law And Science; Legal Education; Empiricism; Progressivism | Laws | (Baumgardner 2024) |
| Simulation-Based Medical Education; Healthcare Legal Frameworks; Medical Training Standardization; Patient Safety Regulations; Simulation-Based Education Legal Analysis; Healthcare Education Policy; Simulation-Based Education Implementation; Medical Skill Enhancement; Legal Document Analysis; Healthcare Training Challenges | Laws | (Slavinska et al. 2024) |
| Novel Foods; Botanicals; European Regulation | Laws | (Morán and Kilasoniya 2024) |
| Electric Vehicle; Innovation Cluster; Technological Disruption; Complex System; Automotive Industry; Public Policy | Sustainability | (Preedakorn et al. 2023) |
| Free-Floating Systems; Geofence; Micromobility; Shared Mobility; Moped-Style Scooter Sharing; Inequality | Sustainability | (Bach et al. 2023) |
| Pegasus; Surveillance; Corporate Liability; Human Rights; Spyware | Laws | (Alexander and Krishna 2022) |
| Physical Security Performance; Facial Recognition Technology; External Factors; Physical Security Gaps; Physical Security Threats; Oil And Gas Industry; Physical Security Culture | Sustainability | (Al Zaabi and Zamri 2022) |
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Salmerón-Manzano, E. Emerging Technologies, Law and Policies. Laws 2025, 14, 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws14020028
AMA Style
Salmerón-Manzano E. Emerging Technologies, Law and Policies. Laws. 2025; 14(2):28. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws14020028
Chicago/Turabian StyleSalmerón-Manzano, Esther. 2025. "Emerging Technologies, Law and Policies" Laws 14, no. 2: 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws14020028
APA StyleSalmerón-Manzano, E. (2025). Emerging Technologies, Law and Policies. Laws, 14(2), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws14020028
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